After a six-week break in the action following the season-opening NHRA Gatornationals in March, Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown competitors will be back in action this weekend at the American Rebel Light Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway outside of Charlotte, N. C. Drivers wheeling Ford Cobra Jets, Chevrolet COPO Camaros and Dodge Challenger Drag Paks will race four-wide in one of the most exciting drag racing events in the country. Returning to the state-of-the-art zMax Dragway, known as the “Bellagio of Drag Strips,” reigning world champion Mark Pawuk will be looking to pick up his first four-wide victory.
“I have raced in all the four-wide nationals going back to 2022,” said Pawuk. “The last two four-wide national events I made it to the final quad, but this year I am looking to get the win light. There is a lot going on at the starting line, and you really have to keep your focus.”
The first time the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series raced four-wide Bill Skillman won at zMax Dragway in 2022. The next year it was Lenny Lottig outrunning Factory Stock Showdown veterans Aaron Stanfield, Stephen Bell and Pawuk for the victory. Last year the four-wide national event was contested at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with Ricky Hord winning his first Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown national event getting to the finish line first in front of David Janac, Scott Libersher and Pawuk.
This year’s edition will see Pawuk and Libersher, two championship-contending teams, battling a full field of Fords, Chevrolets, and Dodges for the first official win of the season. The season-opening Gatornationals was postponed as the class was entering the semifinals. That race will be concluded in conjunction with the Gerber Collision & Glass Rt. 66 NHRA Nationals in Chicago, May 15-18. Lee Hartman, Doug Hamp, Jason Dietsch and Lottig are still on the ladder looking to wrap up the Gatornationals title. Three of those four drivers will be in action this weekend.
“I am ready,” said Hartman. “I love racing at Charlotte. The track is amazing. We have been going over everything on the racecar like we always do. We have checked it bumper to bumper. We tested some last week. I can’t wait to get back in action. I wish we could have finished the Gatornationals in March, but you can’t control the weather. We’ll get after it at this four-wide race and then really get into the season.”
As the eighth season of NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown competition gets underway it continues to be a fan favorite with all three manufacturers battling for supremacy on the track. The class has wowed fans with some of the best competition between Chevrolet COPO Camaros, Ford Mustang Cobra Jets and Dodge Mopar Challenger Drag Paks. The three manufacturers will be front and center at NHRA national events across the country.
This weekend the class will receive four qualifying runs allowing each team to get data from every lane used in competition. Friday, April 25 will feature qualifying runs at 2 p.m. and 3:40 p.m. and on Saturday teams will run at 11:40 a.m. and 2:45 p.m., with the first round of eliminations kicking off Saturday night at 5:15 p.m. Fans can catch all the action live from zMax Dragway or tune into the FS1 broadcast following the conclusion of the race on Sunday.
This story was originally published on April 23, 2025. 
